Qatar, UAE ranked as the least corrupt countries in the MENA region

Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have been ranked as the least corrupt countries in the Middle East and North Africa region, a new report has found.

Globally, Qatar ranked 22nd while the UAE was placed 24th on the 2015 Corruptions Perceptions index released by Transparency International.

The index, which measures the perceived levels of public sector corruption worldwide, measures countries on a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).

While Qatar has jumped from the 26th spot on last year’s index with a score of 71, the UAE also moved slightly from the 25th position last year although its score remained the same at 70.

Among the other Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Saudi Arabia was ranked 48, Bahrain followed at 50, Kuwait was ranked 55 and Oman was placed 60.

Globally, Denmark topped the list of 168 countries on the index for the second year in a row, while Somalia and North Korea were ranked as the most corrupt nations.

Overall, two-thirds of the countries on the 2015 index scored below 50.

Chair of Transparency International José Ugaz said: “Corruption can be beaten if we work together. To stamp out the abuse of power, bribery and shed light on secret deals, citizens must together tell their governments they have had enough.

“The 2015 Corruption Perceptions Index clearly shows that corruption remains a blight around the world. But 2015 was also a year when people again took to the streets to protest corruption. People across the globe sent a strong signal to those in power: it is time to tackle grand corruption.”